The annual international technology forum 5G Techritory took place in Riga last week. More than 2000 registered participants – telecommunications and IT industry leaders, policy makers, scientists, innovators and representatives of a wide range of industries – both remotely and in person discussed the development, opportunities and challenges of 5G and 6G technologies in Europe and the world. This year’s central theme was “5G in action”.

Neils Kalniņš, 5G Techritory Program Director: “The Port of Riga has been our partner and an active participant in the forum ecosystem for six years. Over the past years, the port has been actively involved in various research and development processes, being open to innovations. It has cooperated with the Latvian technology industry community, which provides the possibility to become a unique port on a global scale in the future”. Due to its successful cooperation with such partners as Riga Technical University, LMT, MikroTik and Riga municipality, the port has already become a promising platform for testing various technological solutions.

“Our British colleagues demonstrated interest in the Port of Riga as a potential cooperation partner. I am sure that industry players from other countries who are developing port technologies and looking for new cooperation partners will pay attention to the Port of Riga. As a result, our port will become greener, more efficient, and more environment- and people-friendly,” added N.Kalniņš.

The Freeport of Riga CEO Ansis Zeltiņš participated in the 5G Techritory forum’s panel discussion “Sensor networks in seaport infrastructure. The role of mobile communication”, where port representatives and technology companies discussed the use of a new generation of networks and technologies for port monitoring and data processing with the aim to promote even more efficient and secure port management. “The Port of Riga is actively engaged in a wide variety of new technology initiatives that are interesting and applicable from the point of view of the port operation. IT and telecommunications technologies are no longer the future plans, but today’s necessity, without which the competitiveness of the port is impossible,” stressed Ansis Zeltiņš at the beginning of the discussion.

Moreover, the port’s priority directions are changing rapidly – renewable energy projects, production and use of new fuels, development of energy efficiency solutions and reduction of CO² footprint are on the current agenda of the Port of Riga. These new initiatives are impossible without modern IT and communication solutions. “By participating in technology events like 5G Techritory, we develop our expertise, build partnerships with tech companies, universities and other stakeholders. Together with partners, we are able to promote new technology projects, test new technologies and understand how to use them in the operation of the port and for the needs of the port,” said Ansis Zeltiņš, the Freeport of Riga CEO, evaluating participation in the 5G Techritory.

The Port of Riga was represented at the forum by its subsidiary LVR Flote, which participated in a roundtable discussion on the Open RAN. Together with Riga Technical University and private and public sector experts from different countries, possible scenarios for the development of mobile networks in Central and Eastern Europe were evaluated. Particular attention was paid to the development of private networks, their benefits and the regulatory framework that would facilitate the deployment of private 5G in the region. The roundtable discussion’s outcome was the creation of the first regional 5G Open RAN laboratory, as well as the preparation of a memorandum of understanding between the partners, which will be signed in the near future.